When Captain Newport came back to Virginia, at about the time we were
gathering our scanty harvest, his dreams of sudden wealth, through the
digging of gold in Virginia, had burst as does a bubble when one pricks
it.
He had not been more than four and twenty hours in England before
learning that his ship was laden only with valueless sand, and, mayhap,
if the London Company had not demanded that he return to Virginia at
once, with certain orders concerning us at Jamestown, he might have been
too much ashamed to show his face among us again.
My master had come in long since from trading with the Indians, having
had fairly good success at times, and again failing utterly to gather
food. The king Powhatan was grown so lofty in his bearing, because of
the honor some of our foolish people had shown him, that it was well
nigh impossible to pay the price he asked, even in trinkets, for so
small an amount as a single peck of corn.
However, that which Powhatan did or did not do, concerned me very little
when Captain Newport had arrived, for he brought with him such tidings
as made my heart rejoice, and caused Master Hunt to say that now indeed
would our village of Jamestown grow as it should have grown had our
leaders shown themselves of half as much spirit as had my master.
But for the greater things which followed Captain Newport's arrival in
September of the year 1608, I would have set it down as of the utmost
importance to us in Jamestown, that he brought with him the first two
women, other than the girl Pocahontas, who had ever come into our town.
These were Mistress Forest, and her maid, Anne Burras, and if the king
himself had so far done us the honor as to come, his arrival would have
caused no greater excitement.
Every man and boy in the settlement pressed forward eager even to touch
the garments of these two women as they came ashore in the ship's small
boat, and I dare venture to say that we stared at them, Nathaniel and I
among the number, even as the savages stared at us when first we landed.
It would have been more to my satisfaction had there been two maids,
instead of only one and her mistress, for it was more than likely
servants could tell Nathaniel and me many things about our care of the
house, which a great lady would not well know. Therefore, as I viewed
the matter, we could well spare fine women, so that we had maids who
would understand of what we as houseboys stood mostly in need.
However, it was not with these women, who were only two among seventy,
that had come with Captain Newport on this his third voyage, that I
was most deeply concerned, and how I learned that which pleased me so
greatly shall be set down exactly as it happened.